After TSE breaks story of widow staying at relief centre...Govt starts process to grant widow pension
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, December 31 2025: In a positive impact of The Sangai Express' recent story on a widow staying at Akampat relief camp, authorities of relevant departments appear to have initiated a process for awarding her pension.

After being displaced by the conflict which erupted on May 3, 2023, Khundrak-pam Sakuntala (45) has been staying at Akampat relief camp with her two children.

Her husband passed away in November 2023 at the relief camp, but she wasn't given widow pension even as the Social Welfare Department identified and listed as many as 346 displaced widows for pension benefits.

The Sangai Express published her story on December 29, and it prompted authorities of the Government to visit her and collect documents for awarding widow pension.

After TSE breaks story of widow staying at relief centre...Govt starts process to grant widow pension

Now, as promised, The Sangai Express is bringing our readers stories of other widows facing similar ordeals in relief camps.

Thokchom Priya is a young widow of 36 from Tuibong Forest Gate, Churachandpur.

She is the widow of Late Singhajit, who passed away in 2023, some months after the conflict broke out.

She has three children--a 13-year-old girl, an 8-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl.

The family used to run a workshop at Churachandpur and sell spare parts of vehicles.

After the conflict broke out in May 2023, the family of 5 including the husband fled Churachandpur.

While staying at Utlou relief camp, the husband ran a shop at Khongjom.

However, a couple of months later, the husband passed away due to a sudden stroke.

"Our family was suffering, and he had lots of tension.

The trauma of losing everything in the conflict had a toll on him.

Eventually, it killed him," Priya said.

Priya said even after 2 years, she has so far not received even a single "rupee" from the Government in connection with the death of her husband.

Notably, the State Government had approved a sum of Rs 30,000 in financial aid to families of deceased displaced persons specifically to cover last rites and funeral expenses.

Priya also said she has not yet received a window pension card.

"As instructed, several documents were submitted, applying for a widow pension card.

But, I haven't received the card or the pension," Priya said.

Priya said her three children are enrolled at Bethel English School at Nambol.

Fortunately, the school has slashed half of the tuition fees for the children.

And, the school van service has also reduced the fare to Rs 1,800 for the three children, Priya said.

To cover for the expenses and feed the family, Priya said she is weaving clothes on a borrowed Phisakol (weaving machine) .

"To acquire a Phisakol, I have submitted the required documents multiple times to authorities concerned," Priya said, expressing hope that the related relevant departments would provide her a Phisakol of her own to support her small family.

Ningthoujam Boby (41) was a resident of Khuga Tampak, Churachandpur before the conflict broke out in May 2023 .

Her husband passed away in 2014 and left her with two children.

She used to run a small hotel selling tea and bread in Churachandpur.

The hotel and her house were burnt down in the conflict.

The widow and her children now face extreme financial difficulties in the absence of a reliable and stable source of income.

One of her children was studying in a private school in Moirang.

But, unable to pay tuition fees, the Class IX student has been enrolled at Moirang Multipurpose Higher Secondary School, a Government run school. To survive and earn some income, Boby is working as a baby-sitter.

"I don't have a widow pension card.

Some pension money would help sustain the family," Boby said.

Speaking to this paper, Social Welfare Director Anna Arambam said the department has identified and enrolled 346 displaced widows staying at relief camps for pension benefits under Chief Minister's Widow Pension Scheme.

The pension amount for these 346 widows has been disbursed upto the month of August 2024.Actions are being taken up to release the pending amount, Anna said.

Angom Ibeton, a 52-year-old widow staying at Phubala relief camp, said she has the widow pension card.

Ibeton said she receives Rs 500 a month.

Originally a resident of Khuga Tampak in Churachandpur, her family of 6 was displaced by the conflict in May 2023 .

She is the widow of Ingo, who passed away in 2019 before the conflict.

The widow pension is helpful, Ibeton said.

She however, asserted that the Government ought to do more for internally displaced persons staying in relief camps.

The pension money is helpful, but without a stable source of income, the IDPs are facing difficulties in providing even the basic needs of their families, she said.

She urged the Government to provide reliable and stable sources of income for the IDPs, especially the families headed by widows who have lost their main breadwinners.